Variable-beat alarm clock



Jan. 8, 1935. w. E. PORTER VARIABLE BEAT ALARM CLOCK 2 Sheets-s 1 Filed Nov. 9, 1953 Jan. 8, 1935. w PORTER 1,987,210

VARIABLE BEAT ALARM CLOCK Filed Nov. 9, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 8, 1935 PATENT OFFICE VARIABLE BEAT ALARM CLOCK Wilson Ej. Porter, New Haven, Conm, assignor to The New Haven Clock Company,

001111., a corporation New Haven,

Application November 9-, 1933, Serial No. 697,285

4 Claims.

This invention relatesto improved variablebeat alarm clocks, that is to say. alarm clocks in which means is provided for automatically changing the beat frequency, tone, or both, of the alarm-sounding mechanism, and constitutes anovel variation ofthe alarm clocks show-n and described in my co-pending application. filed July 27; 1933,. Serial No. 682,369..

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a variable-beat. alarm clock having superior means for arousing a. sleeper without undue shock.

A further. object is to provide a variable-beat alarm clock having means for sounding. an, alarm varying in both tone. and beat-frequency.

Another object is to provide an alarm clock having simple, reliable and effective means for automatically restoring the mechanism to its initial' condition by merely winding the alarmspring preparatory to another cycle of operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear to those skilled in, the art from the following, con, sidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

.Inthe accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view mainly in rear elevation of one form. which an. alarm-clock movement may assume in accordance with the present invention,

. with the back-plate omitted and the: rear move-- ment-plate partly broken away;

.Fig. 2 1sv an under-side view of the movement with 'the alarm-bells omitted; I

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in edge elevation,

rigidly secured together in spaced relationship by four (more or'less) pillars 12 in the ordinary manner of clock movements.

Between the respective movement-plates 10- and 11 is mounted a time-train of any approved construction; but as herein shown being of the type drive'n by a spiral mainsprlng 13, and is provided with the usual balance-wheel 14 and escapement features 15. I i g I As before pointed out, the time-train may be I a governor-shaft 41; for the purpose of stopping prising a spiral alarm-drive spring 26 having one features. 2'7, 28, 29 and 30 to drive the said mainof any approved construction and requires no detailed description herein other than to say that in addition to driving a minute-arbor l6 and an hour-sleeve. 16 it also serves to continuously rotate a cam-wheel 1'7 carrying a sleeve-like cam 5 18 and loosely mounted with freedom for both rotary and axial movement, in the ordinary manner of alarm clocks, upon the forward end of an alarm-setstaff 19; extending through the movement-plates 10' and 11 and bearing therein. The forward end of the said alarm-set stafi l9 rigidly carries a radially-projecting cam-finger 20 coacting with the forward edge of the cam 18 and on occasion registering with the cam-notch 21 therein to permit the alarm-wheel 1'7 and the said cam 18 to move forwardly on the said staff 19 under the urge of a sheet-metal alarm-control. spring 22.

Thesaid alarm-control spring 22 is formed of spring-metal and is rigidly secured at one end by a rivet 23 to the front movement-plate 10 and at its opposite end is provided with an alarm-con- 1 trol finger 24 adapted to be moved into and out of the path of a stop-finger 25 rigidly mounted upon I and releasing the alarm-train, as will presently be described.

Also mounted between the'front and rear movement-plates 10 and- 11 is an alarm-train comend anchored to the adjacent one of the pillars l2 and having its opposite end anchored to a winding-arbor 27 bearing in the same movementplates 10' and 11. The said winding-arbor has rigidly coupled to it a ratchet-disk 28 having a.- laterally-ofisetting ratchet-finger 29 engaging any given one of a plurality of perforations 30 formed in an alarm-train main-wheel 31. The spring 26 acts through theintermediary of the wheel 31, which is loosely mounted upon the said arbor 27 in the usual manner of alarm clocks.

The main-wheel 31 meshes into a pinion 32. which is mounted upon the alarm-set staff 19 with freedom for rotation thereupon, and has: rigidly attached to it what for convenience of description may be termed a primary alarmactuating wheel 33, the second-wheel 34 of the alarm-train, and what may be termed a secondary alarm-actuating wheel 35. Each of the alarm-actuating wheels 33 and 35 is provided with a series of peripheral actuating-teeth 36, the former with'three (more. or less) teeth, and the latter with sixteen (more. or less) teeth, for the purpose as will hereinafter appear.

metrically-arranged governor-support 42 havingmounted upon each of its respective opposite ends, with freedom for radial movement thereon, a brake-shoe 43 adapted to engage theinterior surface of the rim of a cup-shaped brake-drum 44 secured to and forwardly projecting from the inner face of the rear movement-plate 11.

Mounted adjacent and to one side of the alarmset staff 19 is a hammer-shaft 45, mounted at its respective opposite ends in the movement-plates liland 11. Mounted upon the said hammer-shaft 45, adjacent theforward end thereof, and with freedom for oscillation thereon, is a hub 46 having staked to its rear end a sheet-metal hammerarm 4'7, which for convenience of description, will be designated as the primary hammer-arm. At its outer lower end, said hammer-arm 47 is provided with a hammer-head 4S and at its opposite end, it is provided with a stop-arm 49 engageable with the upper surface of the adjacentone of the'pillars 12, to limit the swinging movement of the said hammer-arm toward a primary hell or other sounder 50. H

Thehub 46, upon which the primary hammerarm 47 is mounted, carries a radially-projecting pin 51, which is engaged by the lower end of a sheet-metal spring 52 secured to the innerface of the front movement-plate 10 and exerting a constant effort to swing the hammer-arm 4'7 and its hammer-head 48 toward the bell 50. The

hammer-arm 47 is also provided with an integral offsetting actuating-finger 53 which is aligned; with the actuating-teeth 36 of the primary actu-r ating-wheel 33 before referred to.

Alsomounted upon the hammer-shaft 45, but

adjacent the rear end thereof, with freedom for oscillatory movement thereon, is a hub or sleeve 54 having rigidly staked to its forward end a secondary hammer-arm 55 carrying at its outer end a hammer-head 56 and provided at its opposite end with a stop-arm '7 engageable with the upper surface of the adjacent one of the pillars 12, to limit the swinging movement of the said hammer-arm 55 and its head 56 toward a,

secondary bell or other suitable sounding device 5 8, I

Like the hammer-arm 47, the secondary ham: mer-arm 55 is provided withan integral offset ting actuating-finger 59 which is aligned with the actuating-teeth 36 of the secondary actuating wheel 35 for being engaged thereby, as will hereinafter appear. The secondary hammer-arm 55 is also provided with an ofisetting lug 60, one edge of which constitutes a cut-out shoulder 61 engageable on occasion by a cut-out finger 62 forwardly offsetting from a sheet-metal control-lever 63 pivotally mounted, by means of a stud 64, to

the lower portion of the rear movement-plate.

For. the purpose of normally urging the controllever 63 to a position to engage its cut-out finger 62 with the cut-out shoulder 61 of the secondary hammer-arm 55, the said lever is provided with an upwardly-extending finger 65 engaged by the lower end of a sheet-metal spring 66 secured to the rear face of the rear movement-plate 11.

Like the hub 46, the hub 54 of the hammer-arm 55 is provided with a radially-offsetting stud 67 engaged by the lower end of a sheet-metal spring 68 staked to the inner face of the rear movementplate 11 and exerting a constant effort to engage the hammer-head 56 with the bell 58.

For the purpose of limiting the swinging movement of the control-lever 63, the same is provided with a notch 69, the opposite side walls of which are engageable with the adjacent sides of the winding-arbor 2'7. Inwardly projecting from the control-lever 63, about midway the length thereof, is an integral finger 70 extending over the outer convolution of the spiral alarm-spring 26 and 'engageable thereby as the said spring ex- I pands, for the purpose of swinging the said lever 63 downwardly to move its cut-out finger 62 out of thepath of the out-out shoulder 61 of the hammer-arm 5 5.

Secured tothe rearof "the clock-movement by 7 means of pillar-extensions '71 is aback-plate '72 7 extending parallel with the rear movement-plate 11 and reaching considerably below the lower edge thereof, Adjacent its lower end the saidback- ,plate '72 is provided with a forwardly-extending stud '73 upon which is rigidly mounted the primary bell 50 and the secondary bell 58 before referred to. 1

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that the secondary bell 58-partly'nests' within the primary bell 50, which latter is preferably of greater depth than the said; secondary bell, in order to have a relatively-deeper tone, though if desired both the primary and secondary bells may be of the same tonal pitch.

For the purpose of manually stopping the alarm mechanism, a shut-off shaft '74 is mounted between the movement-plates and 11, so as tobearatits respective opposite ends therein. At

its forward end, the said shaft 74 is provided'with an L-shaped shut-off arm 75 which is adaptedto be swung into and out of the path of the stopfinger 25 of the governor-shaft 41 by an L- shaped finger-piece 76 rigidlyattached to the said shaft 74 adjacent the rear end thereof.

'For the purpose ofdescribing the variable -beatf alarm clock herein chosenfor the illustration of the present invention, let it bepresumed that the alarm-spring 26 has been tightly wound, as shown in the drawings, and that the shut-off arm 75 has been retired out of the path of the stop- Now,-when in the revolution of the alarm-wheel 17 by the time-train, the cam-notch 21 of the alarm-cam ls carried by thesaid wheel is brought into registration with the cam-finger 20 on the staff 19, 'thecontrol-spring 22 will be permitted to snap the parts 17 and 18 forwardly with the effect of-retiring.thecontrol-finger 24 out of the path of the stop-finger 25. The alarm-train will now start'to operate at a predetermined speed under the control of the brake-shoes 43, and since will be struck at relatively long intervals to sound a a very mild initialalarrn.

As" the alarm-spring 26 expands in the course ofexpendingits stored energy indriving the primary hammer-arm 4'1, the periphery of the outer convolution of the said spring will, in time, engage the operating-finger '70 of the control-lever 63 and swing the same against the tension of the spring 66 to move the cut-out finger 62 out of the path of the cut-out shoulder 61 of the secondary hammer-arm 55. The said secondary hammerarm will now be free to be actuated by the secondary hammer-actuating wheel 35 but at a much more rapid rate than the rate at which said primary hammer-arm 47 is being operated, owing to the greater number of actuating-teeth on the wheel 35 as compared to the number of similar teeth on the Wheel 33.

Thus, at this stage of the operation of the clock, both of the hammers 47 and 55 will be in action to provide a climax, so to speak, for the alarmsounding cycle, of suflicient volume to effectively arouse the sleeper in the event that he has not already been aroused by the action of the primary alarm-hammer 47 and its complementary bell 50.

In the usual course of events, the alarm mechanism will be manually shut off by the aroused sleeper, who will swing the finger-piece 76 in the direction required to interpose the shut-01f arm in the path of the stop-finger 25.

When the alarm-spring 26 is again wound, it will contract and permit the spring 66 to swing the cut-out finger 62 of the control-lever 63 upwardly for engagement with the cut-out shoulder 61 of the primary hammer-arm 55 preparatory to another cycle of operation.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. An alarm clock comprising a time-train; an alarm-train automatically released by the said time-train; an alarm-driving spring for the said alarm-train; an alarm-sounding member adapted to be moved by the said alarm-train; and control-means normally holding the said alarmsounding member in an inoperative position and actuated by the expansion of the said alarmdriving spring to release the said alarm-sounding member for movement by the said alarm-driving spring after the said alarm-train has been released by the said time-train.

2. An alarm clock comprising a time-train; an alarm-train automatically released by the Said time-train; an alarm-driving spring for the said alarm-train; an alarm-striker adapted to be driven by the said alarm-train; and controlmeans normally holding the said alarm-striker in an inoperative position and actuated by the expansion of the said alarm-driving spring to release the said alarm-striker ,for actuation by the said alarm-driving spring after the said alarmtrain has been released by the said time-train.

3. An alarm clock comprising a time-train; an alarm-train automatically released by the said time-train and including a primary alarm-sounding member, a secondary alarm-sounding member and an alarm-driving spring; and controlmeans normally holding the said secondary alarm-sounding member in an inoperative position and actuated by the expansion of the said alarm-driving spring itself to release the said secondary alarm-sounding member.

4. An alarm clock comprising a time-train; an alarm-train automatically released by the said time-train and including a primary alarm-striker, a secondary alarm-striker and an alarm-driving spring; and control-means normally holding the said secondary alarm-striker in an inoperative position and actuated by the expansion of the said alarm-driving spring itself to release the said secondary alarm-striker.

WILSON E. PORTER. 

